Attribute-enhanced scroll bar system and method

ABSTRACT

An attribute-enhanced scroll bar is presented. A selected portion of a stored data file, for example a document, is displayed in a window, and a scroll bar field including a scroll bar is used to indicate the position of the displayed portion relative to the entire data file. In addition, maps of significant task-specific attributes of the data file, for example particular character strings within a document, are displayed in the scroll bar field of the display along with the scroll bar. The attribute maps indicate the location of the significant attributes within the data file. In addition, the attributes are highlighted within the portion of the data file that is displayed in the window.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/102,021 filedAug. 4, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,391, which is a continuation ofU.S. application Ser. No. 07/523,117 filed May 14, 1990, now abandoned.

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to computer displays and methods ofoperating computer displays and, more particularly, to displaysincluding a data display region used to display a portion of a storeddata file, and a scroll bar display region used to display a scroll barand to display locations of significant data attributes within thestored data file.

Presently, scroll bars occupy a scroll bar display region or window andallocate a long rectangle of pixels, typically called a shaft, torepresent the extent of a stored data file, for example a document. Suchscroll bars provide one car, which is a colored or shaded sub-rectanglelocated within the shaft, and which corresponds to the portion of thedata file which is presently being displayed in a data display region orfield of the display screen. When the car is moved through the shaft,the data display field is updated to display the data file contentscorresponding to the new position of the car. Thus, ordinary scroll barsindicate a single feature of the display, i.e., which portion of thedata file is presently being displayed. Other than the relative lengthof the entire data file, represented by the relative sizes of the shaftand car, no other file-specific information is displayed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention significantly extends the function of scroll barsby superimposing a map of the positions of significant attributes withina stored data file in the scroll bar field of the display screen, whilesimultaneously highlighting those significant attributes in the visibleportion of the data file. The attribute maps are displayed in additionto the scroll bar. The significant attribute maps are displayed in thescroll bar field by putting appropriate regions of the scroll bar shaftin a contrasting color or shade, which serves to draw a user'sattention.

With the attribute enhanced scroll bar of the present invention, a usercan determine the distribution of significant attributes in the spacedefined by the stored data file, and can determine the existence ofsignificant data attributes outside of the visible portion of the datafile presently being displayed in the data display field of the screen.

Examples of significant data attributes include words or phrases withina document, and information about the time of character input, time ofediting, an indication of the document author, or any other documentspecific information. In addition, the attribute-enhanced scroll bar ofthe present invention can be displayed independent of the underlyingdata file, and will serve to recall attributes of the file, the state ofthe task for which the file exists, and will allow the file to be easilyopened to a desired place.

As a result, significant task-specific attributes of the data file beingdisplayed are visually indexed against a scroll bar, which allows usersto navigate easily through the file.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a display screen with an attribute-enhancedscroll bar according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a display screen with twoattribute-enhanced scroll bars according to another embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is a more detailed illustration of an attribute-enhanced scrollbar according to the present invention wherein different attributes aresimultaneously displayed;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of the invention;and

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a computer system illustrating use of theattribute-enhanced scroll bar of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, a computer display screen is shown illustrating anembodiment of the present invention. Display screen 11 is divided intoseveral display fields or windows 12, 13, 14 and 15.

Display field 12 is used to display a selected portion of a stored datafile, for example, a document. The file used for illustrative purposesin FIG. 1 is a computer program. Display fields 14 and 15 can be used,for example, to display identifying data relating to the data file beingdisplayed, type fonts, and format data such as margins, tabs, and thelike.

Display field 13 is an attribute-enhanced scroll bar according to thepresent invention. Display field 13 includes a substantially rectangularregion, or shaft 16, and a shaded rectangular region, or car 17. Thelength of shaft 16 is representative of the length of the data file, aportion of which is displayed in field 12. The position of car 17 withinshaft 16 is indicative of the position of the portion of the data filedisplayed in field 12 relative to the entire length of the data file.Thus, in FIG. 1, the spatial relationship between and relative sizes ofshaft 16 and car 17 indicate that the portion of the data file displayedin display field 12 is the fourth page of a 13-page document. Inaddition, the size of car 17 relative to shaft 16 is indicative of thelength of the page displayed in field 12 relative to the length of theentire data file.

Also displayed in shaft 16 are attribute maps including indicia 18 and19. Attribute indicia 18 and 19 indicate the position of significantattributes within the data file represented by shaft 16. In FIG. 1,three attribute maps are displayed within shaft 16. The first attributemap is empty, and no indicia therefor are included in shaft 16. Thesecond attribute map includes indicia 18, and in the illustration ofFIG. 1, indicates the locations of the character string "ist" within thedata file represented by shaft 16. Also displayed is a third attributemap which includes single indicium 19. In the example of FIG. 1, thethird attribute map indicates the location of the lines within the datafile represented by shaft 16 which were changed since the last time thedata file was saved.

In addition to displaying attribute maps within shaft 16, the individualattributes are simultaneously highlighted within the portion of the datafile displayed in field 12. In the example of FIG. 1, the characterstring "ist" occurs three times in the portion displayed in field 12,the occurrences of which correspond to the three indicia 18 containedwithin car 17. The vertical positions of indicia 18 within car 17correspond to the vertical positions of the character stringshighlighted in the portion of the data file displayed in field 12.

Included in display field 15 is a data field identifying the threescroll maps appearing in shaft 16.

It should be emphasized that more or less than three scroll maps can beincluded within shaft 16, and that different types of indicia can beused to indicate the location of the mapped data attributes. Forexample, different shades or colors can be used within a scroll map toidentify different types of data within a given map. Then, if a storeddocument is authored by several different authors, the indicia in acorresponding attribute map could have a different color, or gray shade,assigned to each different author. Another example would be to assigndifferent gray shades or colors to different times of editorialrevisions of the data file. Portions of the data file recently added oredited would result in indicia of one shade or color while editorialeditions or revisions of later vintage would bear different shades orcolors throughout the spectrum.

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 2, more than one scroll bar fieldcan be included, for example, a vertical scroll bar field includingshaft 16 and car 17, and a horizontal scroll bar field including shaft16a and car 17a. As in FIG. 1, the position of car 17 relative to shaft16 indicates the vertical position within the data file of the portiondisplayed in field 12, and the vertical positions of the indicia of theattribute maps within shaft 16 indicate the vertical location of therelevant data attributes within the displayed file. Similarly, theposition of car 17a within shaft 16a indicates the horizontal positionwithin the data file of the portion displayed in field 12, and thehorizontal positions of the indicia of the attribute maps within shaft16a indicate the horizontal location of the relevant attributes withinthe displayed file.

FIG. 3 illustrates an enhanced scroll bar according to the presentinvention including four attribute maps. Shaft 16 includes car 17 andthey function together as described above. The first attribute mapincludes indicia 23, the second attribute map includes indicia 24, thethird attribute map includes indicia 26 and 26a, and the fourthattribute map includes indicia 27. As above, the positions of therespective indicia along shaft 16 are indicative of the positions of therelevant attributes within the data file represented by the length ofshaft 16. As shown, the colors or shades used for the indicia can changefrom map to map, as illustrated by indicia 23, 24 and 26, and the colorsor shades of the indicia can change within a single map, as illustratedby indicia 26 and 26a. In addition, the shape of the indicia can changeas is illustrated by the rectangular shapes of indicia 23, 24 and 26,and the line-shape of indicia 27. Line-shaped indicia 27 can be used,for example, to indicate the separations between different sections orchapters of a document. Thus, the different shapes, sizes, shades and/orcolors of the attribute indicia can be used to distinguish differentattribute maps, or to distinguish attributes within the same map, orboth.

FIG. 3 illustrates how a significant amount of information can beobtained about a data file by viewing the featural representation of thedata file offered by the enhanced scroll bar alone.

FIG. 4 shows the flow diagram of the present invention. Initially, atthe beginning of the process indicated by start block 31, the elevatorshaft or shafts for the scroll bar field are drawn on the screen inblock 32. Then, in decision block 33, it is determined whether anyscroll maps remain to be formatted and displayed. If so, the number ofthe scroll map is determined in block 34, and the intervals (i.e., startpoint and end point) of the desired attribute within the relevant scrollmap are determined and plotted in the loop including decision block 36and operation blocks 37 and 38.

In decision block 36, it is determined whether any intervals remain tobe plotted in the particular map under consideration. If so, operationblock 37 determines the next interval within the map, and block 38 plotsthat interval on the shaft.

When decision block 36 determines that the last response until internalwithin a particular map has been plotted, control is returned todecision block 33 where it is determined whether additional scroll mapsremain to be plotted.

Once all scroll maps have been plotted, control is transferred to block39 where the car or cars are drawn within the shaft. The procedure isthen terminated.

Referring to FIG. 5, to use the attribute enhanced scroll bar of thepresent invention, a computer system, which includes a centralprocessing unit (CPU) 40, first loads the enhanced scroll bar algorithmof the present invention into memory 41 from program storage medium 42.The enhanced scroll bar algorithm is diagrammed in FIG. 4, and is shownin detail in the program listing below. Program storage medium 42 can beany machine readable storage medium such as, for example, a floppy orhard magnetic or optical disk, or a programmable read-only memory.Display 11, including data display field 12 and scroll bar field 13, isconnected in a known manner through display control bus 43, displayinterface 44 and internal data/address bus 46 to CPU 40.

The computer system can be any suitable computer and hardware display,preferably capable of displaying bit mapped graphics. In the preferredembodiment, the Symbolics 3600-family computers in the Genera softwareenvironment are used. These work stations are publicly available fromthe Symbolics Corporation.

However, it will be understood that the particular hardware used can beof any type. Virtually any work station in the computer marketplacewhich bundles software for windowbased interfaces, or which hasindependent vendors of such software, would be acceptable. For example,acceptable alternatives include computer systems manufactured by IBM,all IBM PC compatibles, Apple Macintosh, Microsoft, NeXt, DEC, SunMicrosystems, and others.

The enhanced scroll bar routine of the present invention is shown in theprogram listing that follows. The program is written in LISP languagefor the Symbolics 3600-family computers in the Genera softwareenvironment. Versions for other computers are readily producible bypractitioners skilled in the art.

The foregoing description of the invention has been directed to aparticular preferred embodiment for purposes of explanation andillustration- It will be apparent, however, to those skilled in this artthat many modifications, additions and deletions may be made withoutdeparting from the essence of the invention. It is the applicants'intention in the following claims to cover all equivalent modificationsand variations as fall within the scope of the invention. ##SPC1##

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer display system comprising:a centralprocessing unit; a memory accessed by the central processing unit; adisplay screen which receives data from the central processing unit;means for displaying a data field in a first region of said displayscreen; means for displaying in said data field a portion of a data filestored in said memory; means for displaying a scroll bar field in asecond region of said display screen separate from said first region;means for displaying in said scroll bar field a shaft representing alength of said data file; means for displaying a car within said shaftrepresenting a position of said portion relative to said length; andmeans for displaying an attribute map within said shaft comprisingindicia representing a position of each occurrence of selectedinformation in said data file relative to said length, said attributemap being visually distinguishable from said car.
 2. In a computersystem including a display screen providing a data field and a scrollbar field in separate regions, a method of visually presenting anattribute-enhanced scroll bar comprising the steps of:displaying withinsaid data field a portion of a data file; and displaying within saidscroll bar field:(i) a shaft representing a length of said data file;(ii) a car within said shaft wherein a spatial relationship between saidcar and said shaft visually indicates a relative position of saiddisplayed portion of said data file with respect to said length of saiddata file; and (iii) an attribute map within said shaft visuallydistinguishable from said car wherein a spatial relationship betweensaid attribute map and said shaft visually indicates a relative positionof each occurrence of selected information in said data file withrespect to said length of said data file.
 3. The method of claim 2wherein said shaft is rectangularly-shaped and positioned lengthwisebetween a vertical edge of said display screen and a vertical edge ofsaid data field, and said shaft represents an entire vertical length ofsaid data file.
 4. The method of claim 2 wherein said shaft isrectangularly-shaped and positioned lengthwise between a horizontal edgeof said display screen and a horizontal edge of said data field, andsaid shaft represents an entire horizontal length of said data file. 5.The method of claim 2 wherein said displayed portion of said data fileis less than all of said data file.
 6. The method of claim 2 whereinsaid length of said data file exceeds said displayed portion of saiddata file.
 7. The method of claim 2 wherein said attribute map indicatesauthorship.
 8. The method of claim 2 wherein said attribute mapindicates editing.
 9. The method of claim 2 wherein said attribute mapindicates time of character input.
 10. The method of claim 2 whereinsaid attribute map indicates a character string.
 11. The method of claim10 wherein any instances of said character string in said data field aresimultaneously highlighted.
 12. The method of claim 2 wherein saidattribute map consists of a plurality separate spaced indicia alignedalong a lengthwise region of said shaft, said indicia having constantwidth with respect to a width of said shaft.
 13. The method of claim 12wherein said indicia have identical colors, sizes, shapes, and shades.14. The method of claim 12 wherein at least two of said indicia havedifferent shapes, sizes, colors, shades, or combinations thereof. 15.The method of claim 2 wherein said car visually indicates a relativesize of said displayed portion of said data file with respect to saidlength of said data file.
 16. The method of claim 2 wherein saidattribute map visually indicates a relative size of each occurence ofsaid selected information in said data file with respect to said lengthof said data file.
 17. The method of claim 2 wherein a userinteractively selects said selected information as said displayedportion of said data file is displayed to said user.
 18. The method of2, further comprising a second attribute map within said shaft visuallydistinguishable from said attribute map and said car wherein a spatialrelationship between said second attribute map and said shaft visuallyindicates to said user a relative position of each occurrence of asecond selected information in said data file with respect to saidlength of said data file, wherein said selected information is distinctfrom said second selected information, and said attribute map isdisplayed simultaneously with said second attribute map.
 19. The methodof claim 18 wherein said attribute map and said second attribute map arevisually distinguishable by being positioned in separate spacedlengthwise regions of said shaft.
 20. The method of claim 18 whereinsaid attribute map and said second attribute map are visuallydistinguishable by having different shapes, sizes, colors, shades, orcombinations thereof.
 21. The method of claim 2, further comprisingdisplaying in said scroll bar field:(iv) a second shaft representing asecond length of said data file, said shaft and said second shaftoccupying separate regions in said scroll bar field; (v) a second carwithin said second shaft wherein the spatial relationship between saidsecond car and said second shaft visually indicates a relative positionof said displayed portion of said data file with respect to said secondlength of said data file; and (vi) a second attribute map within saidsecond shaft visually distinguishable from said second car wherein aspatial relationship between said second attribute map and said secondshaft visually indicates a position of each occurrence of secondselected information in said data file with respect to said secondlength of said data file.
 22. The method of claim 21 wherein said shaftrepresents an entire vertical length of said data file, said secondshaft represents an entire horizontal length of said data file, and saidshaft and second shaft are positioned orthogonally to one another.